Town News Briefing

June 10, 2006

AVON

Churches Plan

Joint Services

AVON -- The Avon and West Avon Congregational churches will renew a tradition this summer when the two churches will worship together on Sunday mornings. The joint services will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays from July 2 to Labor Day weekend.

July services will be held at the Avon Congregational Church at 6 West Main St; in August and September they will be at the West Avon Congregational Church at 280 Country Club Road.

The churches' tradition of worshipping together began in 1971. The West Avon Congregational Church opened in 1818, and the Avon Congregational Church began the next year.

WINSTED

In-School Youth Program Launched

WINSTED -- Northwestern Connecticut Community College will launch Foundations ---- Summer 2006, a summer and year-round in-school youth program funded by the Northwest Regional Workforce Development Board under the Workforce Investment Act. The five-week program runs from July 17 to Aug. 17 and is open to high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors who are WIA eligible and participate in the free or reduced lunch programs.

Foundations offers and will focus on the development of a website that would function as a portal to various activities offered to youth in the northwest corner of Connecticut. A basic structure for the site will be developed that will involve creating a title and identifying categories, which might include music, theater, art, sports, literature/writing and careers.

Foundations will run from Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Participating students will earn $148 a week. In the school year portion of the program, students will receive three hours of tutoring a week for 35 weeks and earn $22.20 each week.

Interested students should contact their high school counselors or call Denise Linden, director of the academic skills center, at 860-738-6351. Applications are also available from the Information Center in Founders Hall on the NCCC campus.

FARMINGTON

Honor Society

Inducts New Members

FARMINGTON -- The Gamma Phi Chapter of Epsilon Pi Tau at Tunxis Community College announced its most recent membership inductees during a ceremony held in April. Established in 1929, EPT is the international honorary for professions in technology, with chapters in every U.S. state and in 49 other nations. The honor society was established to advance understanding, appreciation and awareness of technology as both an enduring and influential human endeavor and an integral element of culture. The following five new members were installed at Tunxis: Dustin Payanis of Bristol, Shanila Aslam of Farmington, Adewumi Akinkugbe of New Britain, Vadim Korf of the Unionville section of Farmington and Keegan Elder of West Hartford.

William Storer, of 24 Wynding Hills Road, East Granby, has been charged with 17 counts of conspiracy to commit second-degree criminal mischief. He was released on a $10,000 non-surety bond, meaning he did not have to put up any cash or other collateral.

Storer, Teresa Guckenheimer, and Matthew Torchia were arrested in Enfield on March 26 after a motorist whose car was struck by BB gun pellets followed them and called police.

At the time, Guckenheimer, a 20-year-old University of Hartford student, and Torchia, 21, of Enfield, were each charged with offenses including criminal mischief and having a weapon in a motor vehicle.

On Tuesday, Guckenheimer was arrested and charged with 39 counts of conspiracy to commit second-degree criminal mischief, accessory to third-degree criminal mischief and six counts of conspiracy to commit third-degree criminal mischief. Her next court date is June 21.

Torchia was also arrested on Tuesday and charged with 42 counts of second-degree criminal mischief and seven counts of third-degree criminal mischief. His next court date is June 21.

Police received 108 property damage complaints from Jan. 20 to March 25, according to a warrant. During that time, businesses, homes and cars were damaged by BB gun pellets. Damage estimates ranged from $250 to $2,500.

SIMSBURY

Scout Leader Honored As Hometown Hero

SIMSBURY -- A veteran leader of Boy Scout Troop 175 will be honored Monday as this year's Hometown Hero.

Richard Cady, who just retired from that volunteer post after seven years, will be given the award at a ceremony Monday night by the board of selectmen during its meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. in town hall on Hopmeadow Road. The ceremony will be near the start of the meeting.

Cady was nominated twice by mothers of Eagle Scouts he has mentored. Neither woman knew that anyone else was submitting Cady's name.

The award was begun in 1986 to recognize individuals for their service to the community.